Ski exerciser having rollable carriage



1 197-9 A-SCHAWALDER 3,511,499

SKI EXERCISER HAVING ROLLABLE CARRIAGE- Original Filed Aug. 26, 1965 r 3Sheets-Sheet 1 I Ive/euro Awe" JC/MA/IIL 05 3 May 12, 1970 H A. sc AwALoF; 3,511,

SKI EXEBCISER HAVING ROLLABLE CARRIAGE Original Filed Aug. 26, 1965 l 3Sheets-Sheet 2 l mien/10R II 71 0101/ VJ SKI E XERCI-SER HAVING ROLLABLECARRIAGE Original Filed Aug. 26', 1965 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I Nvenrrox4166" 3014 um D67? United States Patent Office 3,511,499 Patented May12, 1970 US. Cl. 272--57 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The skiexerciser comprises essentially a curved guide track, a carriage rollerguided along the track, and elongated resilient means extending alongthe track and connecting each side of the carriage to corresponding endsof the track. The carriage is adapted to carry the full weight of theuser and has a foot rest thereon adapted to directly receive solely bothfeet of the user. The resilient means is adapted to return the carriageto an at rest position adjacent the center of the track which slopestherefrom down to its opposite ends. The device is used by the userstanding on the carriage and alternately shifting his weight to rightand left. The track extends to the right and left of the user so thatthe users feet shift in unison with the carriage to right and left asthe body weight is alternately shifted right and left.

This application is a'streamlined continuation of application Ser. No.482,666 filed Aug. 26, 1965, now abandoncd.

The present invention relates to a body training device. A great numberof body training devices are known that serve to provide physicalexercises or training at home for determinate sports. Examples of suchbody training devices are dumb-bells, simulators for cycling and rowingand the like.

The prime object of the present invention is to realize a body trainingdevice for home use, with which the body may be trained for skiing andwith which more particularly the so-called wiping or wagging, which is aparticular type of curving created by Austrian skiers under the name ofWedeln, may be learned and trained.

To this end the present invention provides a body training devicecomprising handle means, a rail, a carriage slidable on said rail,resilient tension means attached to said carriage and resilientlyholding same in a middle position on said rail, said carriage beingformed as 2. foot plank adapted, when stepped on, to be displaced alongsaid rail against the action of the tension means out of its middleposition by the user through movements thereof, consisting of a shiftingand discharging of the load of this user acting on the carriage. Otherfeatures and advantages of the invention will become apparent from thedescription now to follow, of three embodiments thereof, given by way ofexample only, and in which reference will be made to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of a first embodiment of a body training deviceaccording to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view of a second embodiment of such a device.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the device of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is a top view of the third embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings the body training device represented inFIGS. 1 and 2 consists of a rectangular frame, the legs of which aredesignated by reference numetals 1, 2, 3 and 4. The legs 1, 2 and 3 areformed by a rod or tube bent to U-shape. The free ends of the two legs 2and 3 are rigidly connected with each other by a rail forming the fourthleg 4 of the frame. At the leg 1 there is arranged a leg support 5, bymeans of which the frame 14 may be supported in approximately uprightposition with the rail 4 lying on the floor. Preferably the support 5 isarranged to be pivotable into the plane of the frame 1-4 and to belocked in its operational position by an abutment. A carriage 6 ismovable on rolls 7 along the rail 4. To this carriage 6 there areattached at its forward and rearward end with respect to its directionof movement on the rail resilient tension or drawing members 8 and 9,respectively, which run each around a roll 10 in the lower corners ofthe frame 1-4 and the free ends of which are anchored by means of a hookin an opening 11 in leg 3 for the member 9 and in an opening 12 in leg 2for the tension member 8. In the represented embodiment the tension ordrawing members 8, 9 consist of rubber ropes but of course draw springswould also be usable for the same purpose. The two tension members 8, 9maintain the carriage 6 in a middle position on rail 4. To displace thecarriage 6 in the one or in the other direction of the longitudinalextension of rail 4 as shown by arrow 13 in FIG. 1, the tractional forceof the one or the other of the members 8 or 9, respectively, must beovercome.

In order to carry out body training with this device the user of therepresented device places the balls of the feet onto the carriage 6,which to this end is constructed as a foot plank, and seizes with thehands the handle means constituted by the upper leg 1 of the frame. Theexercise consists in displacing the carriage 6 against the action of themembers 8 or 9, respectively, to the one or to the other side along therail by simply discharging the load of the body acting onto the carriageand simultaneously displacing the center of gravity of the body. Themovements required to this end, and more particularly the movements ofthe hips and in the ankles closely correspond to the movements necessarywhen effecting in skiing the wagging or wiping. Thereby the returnmovement of the carriage produced by the corresponding tension memberafter each displacement of the carriage out of its middle position alsocorresponds to the conditions occurring in practice when wagging orwiping with skis on the snow.

In the two lateral legs 2 and 3 additional openings 14 are provided inaddition to the openings 11 and 12 serving to anchor the tension members8 and 9. By anchoring the tension members in different of these openingsthe tractional force exerted by the members 8 and 9 onto the carriage 6may be modified and adapted to the weight of the user of the device.

When not used as training device the represented device may serve tosuspend one or several bags 15 at its upper leg 1 and thus be used asbag holder as indicated in interrupted lines in FIG. 2.

The embodiment represented in FIGS. 3 and 4 differs from that of FIGS. 1and 2 by a more compact construc-. tion owing to which it may be stowedaway for example under a bed or in a wardrobe. The rail 4 of this secondembodiment does not extend horizontally as the rail of the example ofFIGS. 1 and 2 but is convexly curved, i.e. it lowers from a crest pointin its middle towards each of its ends. Due to this construction theweight of the user produces when the carriage is displaced out of itsmiddle position, a force component directed towards the correspondingend of the rail, and this force component counteracts the tractionalforce exerted by the opposite tension member which is increased by thehigher extension so that this arrangement prevents a too fast return ofthe carirage from the end of the rail to the middle thereof.

With a total length of the rail of about 150 cm. it has been foundappropriate for the use of the device by an adult person to place thecrest point about cm. above of the level of the ends of the rail.

Instead of a frame that has to be placed in upright position as the oneof the first embodiment the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 shows arectangular tubular frame 20 the short legs 21 of which are connected bythe convexly curved rail 4 for the carriage 6. The tension members 24,25, which maintain the carriage in the represented middle position areguided over rolls 26, 27 and 28, 29 respectively, and anchored with theends in openings 30 of one leg 22 of the frame. At one of the longersides 22, 23 of the frame 20 there are welded two upright open-endedsleeves 31 adapted to removably receive rods 32 serving as handle meansfor the user. When the device is not used these rods or handle means maybe removed so that again this device is very compact.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 finally has the substantial advantageover the two preceding embodiments that this device reproduces for theuser even more truly the situation on the snow When wagging or wiping.In this operation with the skis on, the skis are pivoted approximatelyabout their tips as center by discharging of the rearward portion of theskis and displacing the center of gravity of the body. This isreproduced in the embodiment of FIG. 5 in that the carriage does noteffect straight to and fro movements on a straight rail but effectspendulum movements on a rail curved in a horizontal plane about a centerpoint in front of the user. To this end a tubular frame 40 is providedin the shape of an isosceles triangle, the legs 41 of which are bridgedby an arc-shaped rail 42 with the center of curvature in the-apex 43 ofthe triangle. This apex 43 is formed as a bearing for a pivot 44carrying a pendulum arm 45 to the opposite end of which is secured thecarriage 46 running on the rail 42. The tension members attached to thecarriage and holding same in the represented middle position between theends of rail 42 are designated by 47 and are secured at 48 to the legs41 of frame 40. The length of the pendulum arm 45 and correspondinglythe radius of curvature of the carriage movements is selectedapproximately similar to the middle distance separating the foot of theskier from the tip of the ski.

Reference numeral 49 designates two upright openended sleeves welded tothe legs 41 and adapted to removably receive as shown for the examplesof FIGS. 3 and 4 rods serving as handle means.

Of course the rail 42 of the embodiment of FIG. 5

could additionally be convexly curved in a vertical plane as shown forthe straight rail of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4.

I claim:

1. A skiless ski exercise device, comprising essentially a frame whichis adapted to be positioned on a horizontal fiat support surface, saidframe including an elongated guide track comprising a pair of parallelspaced guide rails for guiding a carriage therealong in oppositedirections, said track being curved from its opposite ends towards itscenter whereby its center is elevated and slopes therefrom down towardsits opposite ends, a carriage on said track, roller means between saidcarriage and track and in contact with said guide rails for rolling saidcarriage along said track, said carriage alone being adapted to carrythe full weight of a user of said exercise device, said carriage havinga single foot rest thereon for directly receiving solely both feet ofthe user of said device when in standing position on said carriage, saidcarriage having an at rest position adjacent said center and elongatedresilient means connected to a central portion of said carriage andextending therefrom along said track in a location between said guiderails to opposite ends of said track to bias said carriage to said atrest position, said track extending from its center to the right andleft of a user standing on said carriage whereby said carriage willalternately shift to the right and left of said center along said trackagainst the tension of said resilient means as said user alternatelyshifts his body to the right and left, and said feet being on said footrest and moving in unison with said carriage as it is alternatelyshifted to the right and left.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,682,402 6/ 1954 McCarthy 27257FOREIGN PATENTS 632,029 12/ 1961 Canada. 710,685 6/1965 Canada. 675,7427/1952 Great Britain. 902,675 8/ 1962 Great Britain. 204,939 8/ 1959Austria. 832,295 9/1938 France.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner R. W. DIAZ, 111., Assistant ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R. 272-82

